Hydraulic flushing valve for water-closet tanks



I Sept. 15, 1925.

. 1,553,616 M. w. JOHNSON HYDRAULIC FLUSHING VALVE FOR WATER CLOSETTANKS Filed Nov, 3, 1923 Patented Sept. 15, 1925. g

MARK W. JOHNSON, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

HYDRAULIC FLUSHING VALVE FOR. WATER-CLOSET TANKS.

Application filed November 3, 1923. Serial No. 672,676.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK W. JoHNsoN,

a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, haveinvented certa n new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic FlushingValves for VVater-Closet Tanks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a hydraulioflushing valve for water closettanks, and its ob ject is to devise a flushing float valve so simple inits construction, so reliable in ts method of operation, so free fromliability to disarrangement of parts that might cause leakage, and soreadily replaced whenworn, that it will take the place of the presentflush valve appliances for closet tanks.-

The prime object of my invention is to design a flushingvalve whichshall make use of a freely floating spherical flush ball valve whichbeing without any attached guide element and entirely unincumberedin itsmovements, is always free to assume a correct non-leaking position onthe flush valve seat. I

A further object of my invention isto provide, at the least possibleexpense and with no material change in the present flush valve seats, aguide or cage within which the free movements of the float ball valveare confined and which is adapted to guide the valve towards its seatwithout however interfering with its free movement as it seats itself.

A further object of my invention is to devise a simple and effectivemeans for operating the float ball valve and to this end 'my inventioncontemplates broadly any available means for equalizing the hydraulicpressure all around the ball and thus permitting it to rise from itsseat and float to the top of its cage; Preferably, I utilize a handoperated trip means tolift the valve from its seat in association withmeans to counteract or shut off the tank discharge temporarily so thatthe outflow of water under the valve will not interfere with theequalization of pressure about the float ball 5 valve which is essentialto enable the valve to float upward out of position so asto beunaffected by the flushing operation. It is to be understood that suchmechanical valve operating appliance is merely that consideredpreferablein that it is more direct in itsaction, capable of being verysimply embodied and economically constructed, and

becaus for its operation it requires a crank or lever appliance such ashas been in customary use for operating closet flushing valves.

My invention also comprises the novel details of construction andarrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only areillustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification, and in which 2- Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional viewthrough a portion of the bottom of a water closet tank showing the flushvalve seat and the equalizing valve in elevation and the spherical floatvalve partly broken away, the dotted lines indicating the position ofthe equalizing valve when moved to trip the ball float valve.

Fig.2 is a plan view in reduced scale looking down into a closet tankequipped with my valve invention, the float ball be ing omitted.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

It is now well established that the most effective type of flush valvefor use in connection with a tank system of flushing water closet bowlsis by the use of a float valve within the flush tank. Such valves aresubject, however, to objection chiefly because they getout of order soeasily and so often, and this results from the necessity of providing asystem of small delicate levers, links and pins, the purpose of which isto lift the rubber float ball off of the flush valve seat and to guideit in its return. Any disarrangement of the leverage system, any unduefriction in the ball guides, or any rubbing or contact of the ball valvewith any fixed part of the tank, will cause the ball valve to hang or toseat unequally, and, moreover, where such a float ball valve hasattached to it a guide stem it must necessarily always present the samesurface to the seat. The result of these unsatisfactory conditions isthat the ball valve frequently hangs, its improper seatingis theconstant cause of leakage, and it has a relatively short life. It is ofvery considerable importanc to be borne in mind that the result of theserather complicated and delicate appliances-for the control ,of theoperation of closet flush valves has made the general public unable torepear flush valves when out of order by the substitution of a new floatball valve, and hence the public is subjected to an enormous up-keepexpense which can be avoided by the provision of a simple free floatball valve which could be replaced by dropping a new ball intoits cage,

In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated, I have shown aflushing tank 1, which may be of any standard design made of suitablematerial, and in the bottom 2 of this tank I have seated in a suitablehole provided therein a flush valve seat 3 which is quite similar to thepresent valve seats, differing only in the respects which will be laterpointed out. Onto the threaded shank 1 of thisvalvc seat below thetank Iscrew a valve fitting 5 adapted to receive the pressure equalizing diskvalve 6. This valve 6 is adapted to engage a seat formed on or providedat the bottom end of the shank 4: and, when seated, tostop the outflowof water from the tank. The disk valve 6, on its upper face, carriesfour vertical spaced wings 7 which at their upper ends bear in spacedrelation above the valve 6 a sleeve valve which works withasubstantially fluid tight fit in the shank 4 and has near its upper endan annular series of ports 9 which in lowered position register with thedischarge port 10 of the overflow pipe 11'. This overflow pipe ismounted in theusual manner on the flush valve seat and its dischargeport 10 enters said seat at one side in the manner well understood' Thevalve sleeve 8 at its upper end is open and has an annular bevelled face12 which in lowered position stands slightly below a flush position withthe bevelled face 13 and out of contact with the flush valve ball 17. Inthis face 13 I provide an annular groove 14 which reduces the contactarea between ball and seat, and so increases the sealing pressure persquare inch.

About the outer margin of the flange of the seat 3 I provide a series ofspaced vertical sockets 15, each of which is adapted to receive one ofthe vertical wires 16 which form a cage for the guidance of thespherical ball float valve 17 These 'Wires at their upper ends arereceived in or made fast to a top ring or frame 18 which is suitablyconnected by a clip 19 to the overflow pipe. 11. Hinged on the top ring18 is a suitable cap 20 provided with a latch or other equivalent means21 for holding it in closed position on the ring 18.

The valve 6 has screwed into the center of its bottom a screw 22 whichreceives loosely the free end of the rocker arm 23 which is fast on acrank shaft 24:. This shaft projects through a suitable packing gland25, forwardly through the front wall of the fitting 5 and has fast on.-its outer end an elongated crank 26 which projects into convenientposition for being, depressed by hand to operate the valve mechanism.The rocker arm has an extension 27 beyond its connection to theshaft-.24: which projects into an extension 28 of the fitting 5 and isen gaged underneath by a plunger head 29 mounted on a coiled spring 30which at its lower end is seated on a screw cap 31 in threadedengagement with the lower end of the cylindrical spring chamber 32 whichunderhangs from the outer end of the fitting extension 28. This cap 31thus forms a removable seat for the spring whereby it can be readilyreplaced. The action of the spring is normally to hold the valves 6 and8 in the lowered position, shown in full lines 1. hen the free end ofthe lever is depressed the spring 30 will be compressed, the disk valve6 will move into positionto close the lower end of the seat shank a andsleeve 8 will rise sufliciently to blank off the port 10 and to lift thespherical float ball 17 above its seat. The water in the tank runsthrough the ports 9 in the sleeve and fills the shank above the diskvalve 6, thus equalizing the water pressure on all sides of the ball.Solong as the valve 6 is seated and the port 10 is blanked off therewill be no outflow of water to create any suction on the ball 17 and thewater having free access to the ball on all sides will cause itinstantly to rise and float to the top of its cage. hereupon, on releaseof the lever 26, the valve 6 will be opened by the action of the spring30 and the ports 9 will move into register with the overflow port 10 andthe flushing operation will proceed in normal manner. The valve body 5has a threaded shank 33 which isof the same size as the shank i and isadapted to be coupled to the bowl connection, not shown, in the ordinarymanner; The valve 6 and sleeve 8 in lowered position, offer noappreciable. obstruction to the free and rapid discharge of water fromthe flushing tank.

While I have shown a mechanical appliance for unseating the float ball17, it is to be understood that this may be accomplished in a variety ofways and that all such are within the contemplation of my invention. Theball may for greater life have a metal core 34 covered with rubber, thuscausing it to hold its shape. I

During the flushing operation, the ball will float down in its cagefollowing the lowering water level in the tank and as the end of theflushing operation approaches the ball will work freely into positionabove and will settle down on its seat face 13 without there being anything to interfere with this movement and without the ball everpresenting the same surface to the seat, thus causing a practicallyuniform wear ,over the entire surface area of the ball and avoiding itsbeing readily distorted from shape by the suction pull on it which veryquickly results where the identical surface of the ball valve is causedalways to contact with its seat.

Though I have described with great par ticularity the details of theembodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed thatI am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution ofequivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 2-- 1. In a hydraulic flushing valve meansfor closet tanks, a flush valve seat, a spherical float valve adapted toco-act with said seat, marginal means to freely guide said ball to andfrom its seat, and a manually operable valve adapted to close the flushvalve port as it engages and unseats the float ball, said valve seathaving an overflow pipe port and said valve means having an elementadapted to blank off said port when in position to unseat the floatball.

2. A hydraulic flushing valve for water closet tanks, comprising a flushvalve seat, a spherical free float ball valve adapted to co-act withsaid seat, a cage for the ball formed by marginal guides which confinethe free movements of said ball, and a hinged top for the cage adaptedto permit the ready removal and replacement of the ball.

3. In a hydraulic flushing valve mecha nism for water closet tanks, aflush valve seat having an overflow pipe connected therewith, a freelymovable float ball adapted to co-act with said seat, guides therefor, asleeve valve movable through said seat to lift the ball having lateralports adapted in raised position to clear the seat and per-' mit theinflow of water below the ball, and means to check the outflow of waterfrom said seat until the ball valve has floated away from it responsiveto equalized hydraulic pressure on all sides thereof.

4. A hydraulic flushing valve mechanism, in accordance with claim 3, inwhich said seat has a lateral overflow port with which said ports insaid sleeve valve are adapted to register only in its lowered position.

5. In a hydraulic flushing valve mechanism for water closet tanks, atank having in its bottom a flush valve seat, a free float ball adaptedto co-act with said seat, guide means for said ball, an overflow pipehaving a' discharge port entering said valve seat, a sleeve valvemovable with a fluid tight fit through the seat and adapted to lift theball therefrom, said valve having lateral ports which are exposed to thewater in the tank when the ball is lifted from its flush seat, a valvemeans co-ordinated with the sleeve valve and adapted to interrupt theoutflow of water through said seat and into said overflow pipe while thesleeve valve is raised, means tending normally to lower the sleevevalve, and manual means to lift the sleeve valve.

6. In a floating ball flushing valve for water closets, a tank forwater, a float ball entirely disconnected, a cage surrounding the ballto limit its floating movements and having a top adapted to be openedand closed to permit replacement of the ball, a valve seat with adischarge port and an overflow port connected to an overflow pipe, adischarge valve adapted to close the discharge port and having movabletherewith an overflow cutoff valve adapted to open and close saidoverflow port, and means to lift the float ball from its seat and admitwater from the tank into the discharge port when the said port and theoverflow port are closed by their respective valves, and hand controlledmeans tending automatically to move said valves to open posit-ion andmaintain open the discharge and the overflow ports.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MARK W. JOHNSON.

